Informal Fallacies

These flashcards cover key concepts related to informal fallacies, particularly fallacies of relevance, illustrating various types of logical missteps along with their definitions.

Appeal to Force (Argumentum ad Baculum)

A fallacy where an arguer threatens harm if their conclusion is not accepted.

Appeal to Pity (Argumentum ad Misericordiam)

A fallacy that invokes pity to persuade someone to accept a conclusion.

Appeal to the People (Argumentum ad Populum)

A fallacy that exploits the desires of the audience to urge a conclusion.

Straw Man

A fallacy that misrepresents an opponent’s argument to refute it more easily.

Red Herring

A fallacy that distracts from the topic at hand by introducing a different issue.

Ad Hominem

A fallacy involving attacking the character of the person making an argument instead of the argument itself.

Bandwagon Argument

A form of appeal to the people suggesting that one should do something because others do it.

Appeal to Vanity

A persuasion tactic that suggests one should do something to be like admired individuals.

Appeal to Snobbery

A persuasion tactic suggesting one should do something to be part of an exclusive social group.

Tu Quoque

A form of ad hominem where one dismisses criticism by pointing out hypocrisy.